On his fifth installment under the Parallel Worlds moniker, Greek producer Bakis Sirros marries modern studio techniques to glamorous retro sculptures. "Shade" is therefore a record of many and ambitious atmospheric transitions. While staying a classicist when addressing the synth material and the sequence processing, Parallel Worlds does a wonderful job in moving forward with the evocative echoes of today’s electronic music.

1. Frightening Frontiers
2. Entities
3. A Moment Frozen
4. Mutating Realities
5. Compulsive Mechanics
6. Not Being Mirrored
7. Shade
8. Urgency
9. Towards
10. Ungreat Certainty

The mood here is pretty dark most of the time, and the frightening frontiers the first track sings the praises of are a daring and bold example of the sonic storms ahead of us. "But fear not, dear listener", you seem to hear Sirros whisper, as these tracks are less threatening than they appear on first listen. They sure are demanding and they certainly require some close attention to be fully comprehended – but they are also very rewarding.

To be caught in the midst of the turbulence that is "Mutating Realities" is indeed a real treat. The 10-minute piece seems like a revolving door of juxtaposed rhythms and ambient-like patterns. The "Compulsive Mechanics" mentioned shortly after are nothing short of a disparate (but overtly achieved) recreation of the modular dreams David Lynch must have between film sequences.

"Shade" (the title track and the whole album, for that matter) sounds almost industrial-like in its devotion to detail and texture – and that’s a compliment. After the ears are gloriously immersed in the music flirting with them, there’s no telling when the nerves will wreck for good and the heart will stop pumping blood. One might even feel driven to ask, when has cerebral music gotten so physical and urgent? Parallel Worlds may be off to a good start.

~ Helder Gomes

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